Flooding in the Caribbean has washed out fields of two of Costa Rica’s most important agricultural exports. Banana and pineapple producers are still trying to get a handle on the damage caused by heavy rains and flooding last week that cut off exporters from ports and damaged fields, business leaders told The Tico Times on Wednesday.
Since 1977, Costa Rica has imported more than 185,000 metric tons of agrochemicals. In that same time period, the country's consumption of these substances has more than tripled.
A type of Fusarium wilt appeared this year in Australia's main banana-growing state after spreading to Asia and Africa. While the fungus has been around since the 1990s and has yet to affect top exporter Ecuador, Fresh Del Monte Produce called it a potential "big nightmare." The United Nations says the disease threatens supply, and Latin American growers are taking steps to limit the risk.
Hundreds of banana workers who were exposed to the banned pesticide Nemagon protested Wednesday in front of Costa Rica's Legislative Assembly demanding compensation for physical and psychological damages.
While coffee and other exports are enjoying a price boom, Costa Rica’s biggest agricultural exports, bananas and pineapple, are looking a little like a bust.
Finca San Pablo General Manager Geraldo Mora said the banana farm shrunk its carbon footprint mainly by reducing its use of nitrogen-based fertilizers in favor of natural ones; reducing electricity consumption in its packing facility; and improving efficiency in transporting its product to the port in Limón.
After 13 years, Costa Rica finally has a regulation guaranteeing payment of physical and psychological damages for nearly 14,000 banana workers who were exposed to the banned pesticide Nemagon.
